Envelop.



* No. 723,083. PATENTED MAR. 17, 1903'.

J. VAN BEERS. ENVELOP.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 3, 1903.

H0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES \NVEN'TOR' PATENTED MAR. 17, 1903.

J. VAN BEERS.

ENVELOP.

APPLmATIonnLED JAN. 3. 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- N0 MODEL.

WPTNEHS ES "70 7x74 4 ATENT FFICE.

JAN van nnnasor PARIS, FRANCE.

ENVELO P.

SPECIFICATION. forming part of Letters Patent No. 723,083, dated March 17, 1903.

Application filed-January 3, 1903. Serial No. 137,701. (No model.)

This invention relates to an inviolable en-.

. velop for correspondence in which the clos- IO ing device, whichcannot be opened without tearing the envelop, allows of suppressing the gumming for closing the envelop. This device has besides the advantage of not being apparent byan y of its parts when the envelop is closed.

This envelop is provided on the inner face of its upper flap with a small metallic plate punched and beaten out, and on the inner face of its lower flap, which is cut out With a slot, a thin Wire bent on itself and provided on its bent end with a small ball. By this means to closethe envelop it is only necessary to insert the upper flap in the slot of the lower flap, taking care that the wire, with its ball, be engaged in the beaten-out parts of the plate, and then to press hard on the envelop, so as to clasp the wire in place and render the removal of the upper fiapimpossible.

The invention com prises,besides,means for securing the metallic plate on the inner face of the upper flap and the bent wire on the inner face of the lower flap of the envelop.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an envelop incorporating the different parts of my invention.

a Figure 1 is aview of the back of the envelop closed. Fig. 2 is a view of the back of the envelop opened. Fig.3 is an inside view of the envelop unfolded. Fig. 4; is a longitudinal section, at an enlarged scale, of the upper flap. Fig. 5 is a cross-section of the same flap, and Fig. dis a partial section of the back of f the envelopafter it isclosed.

The envelop comprises, essentially, a sheet of paper out out according to the outline of Fig.3, with aslota andtwo metallic'devices secured, respectively, onthe inner face of the upper and lower flaps b and c. The device a secured to the upper flap is formed of a very thin metallic plate 11, out according to transverse parallel lines and beaten out, so as to a chase alternately to the top or to the bottom the sections of the plate left between the successive parallel lines, which gives in longitudinal section the appearance of Fig. 4 and in cross-section the appearance of Fig. 5. To secure the plate at on the flap b, said plate is made integral on each side with lugs f, which are lifted first at right angle by bending them at about the middle of their length. Then on each side of the plate are pasted overlaps of paper g and it, provided with slots to let the lugs fpass, and said lugs are bent down, as shown in Fig. 5. it

The device secured to the bottom flap c is formed of a very thin Wire 2' bent over itself and the ends of which extend away from each other, as shown in Fig. 3. At the bent end is then cast or fixed a small ball of lead To secure said wire to the flap, its ends are first engaged in two adjacent holes of an overlap of paper 70, and then said overlap is pasted on the flap 0, so as to inclose the ends of the wire, as shown in the drawings.

To deliver the envelop to the commerce, it

is only necessary to turn down the side flaps Z and m and paste their ends one against the other, like usually, then to turn over the lower flap c and paste it to the side flaps. The envelop has then the appearance of Fig. 2, sup- "posing that the top flap is lifted up.

To close the envelop after having introduced the letter, the flap b, which is not gummed, is turned over and its leg is inserted in the slot a of the lower flap, care having been taken that the bent wire t', guided by the ball j, be engaged in the passage formed by the beaten-out parts of the plate (1. When the leg is completely engaged in the slot a, the ballj extends slightly beyond the lower edge of the plate 01. It is then only necessary after the envelop has been laid fiat to give a knock a with a hammer in its central part in order to crush the projecting sections of the plate 61 over the wire and to clasp thus thewire in an absolutely strong manner. The presence ofthe balljis provided as an additional means for the safety closing, which renders quite impossible the pulling out of the wire. The

knock with a hammer can of course be replaced by stamping by means of any wellknown machines operating through the medium of a lover or by the sudden'expansion of a spring, the. The envelop once closed has the appearance illustrated in Fig. 1 and partially in section at an enlarged scale in Fig. 6. Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An envelop for correspondence, formed "of a sheet of paper out out so as to present an upper flap not gummed b, two side flaps l and m and a lower flap 0 provided with a slot a, in combination with a thin metallic plate (I secured to the inner face of the flap 6, out according to transverse parallel lines and beaten out so as to chase alternately to the top or to the bottom the sections of the plate left between the successive parallel lines and to form thus a central passage in the length of the plate, a thin wire them over itself secured by its free ends to the inner face of the lower flap cand a small ball of leadj fixed to the wire by its bent end, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. An envelop for correspondence, formed of a sheet of paper out out so as to present an upper flap not gummed 1), two side flaps Z and m and a lower flap 0 provided with a slot a, in combination with a thin metallic plate cl cut according to transverse parallel lines and beaten out so as to 'chase alternately to the top or to the bottom the sections of the plate left between the successive parallel lines and to form thus a central passage in the length of the plate, lugs f made integral with the plate d, gummed overlaps of paper g and It provided with holes tolet the lugsf pass and pasted on the flap b on each side of the plate cl, a thin wire t' bent over itself having its free ends extending apart one from each other, a small ball of leadj secured to the wire on the bent end, a gummed overlap of paper 70 provided with two holes to let the free ends of wire 2' pass and pasted on the inner face of flap 0 over the ends of the wire 1', substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

JAN VAN BEERS. Witnesses:

LOUIS MOSES, EDWARD P. MAOLEAN. 

